US-based social TV analytics company Bluefin Labs, backed by US-based media company Time Warner’s corporate venturing unit, has named JP Maheu, the former chief executive [CEO] of interactive marketer Razorfish, as CEO.
JP Maheu will work alongside Bluefin’s co-founder and former CEO Deb Roy, who will retain his position as chairman. The two are expected to work together on the company’s long-term strategy.
During his six year tenure at Razorfish, Maheu rose up the ranks to become CEO, where he led the strategy and growth of the company for two years.
After departing from Razorfish, Maheu become the chief digital officer of Manhattan-based advertising and PR company Ogilvy & Mather, a WPP company, and was responsible for digital growth and innovation. Before joining Bluefin, Maheu was the Global CEO of Publicis Worldwide’s digital marketing unit Publicis Modem.
In January, Bluefin Labs raised $12 million in a Series B round led by Time Warner Investments with participation from SoftBank Capital, Redpoint Ventures, and Lerer Ventures.
Bluefin Labs has moved from a stealth-mode tech startup to becoming an emerging standard for social TV measurement over the past 18 months. Its two offerings, Signals Network Edition and Signals Brand Edition, are used by clients to measure people’s social media commentary surrounding shows and commercials.
Maheu said:“People are interacting with television programming and advertising in so many new ways every day, and Bluefin Labs has cracked the code on how brands, agencies, and TV networks can leverage this social data. I am thrilled to join the social TV analytics leader and to help networks optimize their programming, help brands optimize their campaigns and media spend, and help the industry at large understand the power of Bluefin Labs analytics.”
Deb Roy said:“JP is exactly who we were looking for, with strong management experience and expertise in the world of advertising, including digital and social.”
Roy, who has built the business over the past four years as CEO, will return to the MIT Media Lab where he is a tenured faculty member. He will return to MIT in January 2013, while retaining his position as chairman at Bluefin.